Saturday, April 5, 2008

Awards from my pals...and Mama's Angel Biscuits

You know, these awards are so heart warming to me. It means maybe I'm doing something right and that others find some humor or upliftment in what I have to say and I thank San at Life with A View (and what a view it is http://alifewithaview.blogspot.com/) for this Gratitude with Attitude award...I will admit that I definitely have an attitude. I got it from my Mama. And for Vee to think me worth the E for Excellence award...well...thank you my dear Vee. She is a most excellent blogger and you can find her at http://ahavenforvee.blogspot/. Please visit my friends, you certainly won't regret it! Later in the week I will passing these awards right on out, but first I want to share the recipe for Angel Biscuits then as we have a storm moving in, will sign out for awhile. Well, after visiting the rest of my friends.



Mama collected recipes the way some people collect stamps or coins. She had so many different types of recipes that should I live to be 99, well I won't have gotten through a quarter of them. She was the kind of cook that should unexpected company arrive she could take a pound of shoe leather and you'd think you just had fillet Mignon. The Angel Biscuit recipe came from an old Southern Living Magazine years ago and was a blue ribbon prize winner at the Columbia State Fair in South Carolina in (according to notes) October, 1954. They are light tender biscuits, easy to make and the best things to eat them with are...well, anything. Mac loves them with honey on them. He has decided to eat at least 2 tablespoons of honey daily since he discovered that he can't take any of the cholesterol lowering meds. This is the recipe, and whether you think you can make a biscuit or not, please try it! I'm going to skip down a line or two so you can copy and paste and print this recipe.



Angel Biscuits
Ingredients:

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

4 tablespoons sugar

5 cups regular flour (not self rising!)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

melted butter (optional)



Procedure: Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Warm the buttermilk with the shortening stirring to melt. Let it cool to lukewarm. Add the yeast which you have softened in the 1/4 cup warm water. Add the sugar.



Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add this to the buttermilk mixture. Stir to mix and place it in a covered bowl and let it sit overnight, if you like. If you want biscuits immediately, put 1/2 cup of flour on a butcher block or cutting board, spread it about, then break off about 1/4 of the dough and put it in the flour. (The leftover biscuit dough will keep in the fridge for up to five days. In all this recipe makes makes about 3 dozen biscuits if you have a crowd coming!) Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough, knead just a few times and roll it out to about 1 inch in depth, take a biscuit cutter (or a can that has both ends cut out). Place each biscuit on a baking sheet (Or preferably in cast iron skillet...I use my spider) and bake at 400 degrees for about fifteen minutes, or until nicely browned on top. Brush with melted butter if desired.



Now these are wonderful, you're going to love them...please let me know how they turned out for you. So much better than those "fresh" frozen biscuits...they are to die for!

18 comments:

Mima said...

Many congrats on the awards Sandi, they are well deserved! The biscuits recipe sounds delicious, I have never had American style biscuits, what do you eat them with? How lovely to have such a store of fantastic recipes to dig into, and a wonderful set of memories to go with them as well I should imagine!

San said...

Sandi, I never saw a biscuit recipe that included yeast. That must be the angelic ingredient, to lighten things up. I will copy and paste the recipe and try it.

Jeff B said...

I'm with San. The yeast was a surprise for me too. Looking forward to giving them a try though. Thanks for the recipe.

Vee said...

They sure sound delicious, Sandi. Yeast in a biscuit? That's completely new to me, but then you know that I am the water-in-the- biscuit gal here. Ha! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I've snagged it. Does it work okay to make only half a recipe?

Sandi McBride said...

I'm pretty sure you'll have no trouble halving the recipe,I've done that myself before! And Mima,we eat biscuits with anything we want, lol...with any meat dish, for breakfast with grits, eggs and sausage, or as an egg biscuit...I need to share my MIL's recipe for tomato gravy...yes, tomato gravy...wonderful stuff!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sandi, I am definitely going to try that recipe. Wish I'd had it earlier to accompany the Easter ham. Wish I could join you on the Idol day but I am probably the only person in the whole wide world who doesn't watch it. :)

Jan said...

Congratulations on the awards darlin'! And I'm gonna try those biscuits! Me in the kitchen...not a good idea generally, but I'm gonna try 'em anyway!!

Jan

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to try these. Sounds like something we make called a refrigerator roll.Will let you know when I try it.
Have a good weekend. Make sure you guys buy local honey and not the store bought.

Jamie Dawn said...

Those biscuits sound YUMMY! I'm in some good grits and biscuit country right now. I'm in Savannah, GA as I write this. The sweet tea is gooood, and the Spanish Moss is hanging from the trees.
I LOVE this city!
I shall now read your previous post.

:-)

Akelamalu said...

Congratulations on the award!

My grandmother was like your Mom, she could make a meal out of a dishcloth. That looks like an interesting recipe I may have to give it a try.

Thanks for popping in to see me and taking the time to comment. :)

Country Cottage Chic said...

Congrats on the well deserved awards! Your Mama sounds like me - I'm always tearing recipes out from magazines & newspapers - often they turn into favourites.

Mima said...

Thanks Sandi - I now have to work out what the ingredients are in English terms, or what I can substitute! I really want to give them a go though.

Terri Steffes said...

Hey, Sandi! How's tricks? I am checking out the blogs, trying to get back into the swing of it. I love your biscuit recipe before I have even tried it. I love yeast rolls!

Cath said...

Wow they sound delish! I'm over from San's to say congrats on the award.

I have been here before I'm sure... :0)

Jodie Adams said...

Oh my goodness, sounds like heaven. I am planning on trying these SOON that is if our commissary has the yeast and buttermilk, you never know around here! FYI things here are good, Nick will be home tonight and that in itself is a celebration for me. Love ya!

Vee said...

Oh boy! I'm having troubles...this is my own fault, but it could prove interesting...I used Smart Milk (skim) and added vinegar to create a mighty poor substitute for buttermilk... So, in order to get it all back together again, I had to blend it. Then, I nearly put the yeast into it before it cooled to lukewarm. Phew! One problem averted. Now, I don't see where the sugar goes...so I just tossed it into the flour. Hope that doesn't mess things all up. Still keeping my fingers crossed.

Justabeachkat said...

Congrats on the award sweet friend and thanks for the recipe. Gotta try this one for sure!

Hugs!
Kat

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

Beautiful awards. I am going to make the biscuits for my husband today.....Mary